5000 years of Indian Civilization

We gather at the Wiseguys pretty much everyday ! The discussions mostly revolve around the conspiracy that the pharmaceutical companies are hatching to rob the world of cheap ,traditional, medicines and replace them with their products. Or the Americans holding the world at ransom and how they think their way of life is the benchmark for all forms of life ! Inadvertently the discussions would turn to India . I am the object of curiosity as the only dark skinned guy sitting amongst a bunch of drunk white men expressing his opinion. Usually Indians abroad do not mingle with the other races and if one is seen in a pub definitely he won't be the only one and must be sitting in one corner away from the lime light.

My friend, Dan, is a former Marine and has seen the world and surprisingly he knows quite a lot about India. Specially about Indian medicine! so he says " You know Sanjay , your culture is 5000 years old, you guys are some cool cats"! yeah I have heard that before especially from Indians when they are cornered about their culture... "Ours is a 5000 years old culture" meaning we cannot be wrong !

Any how Dan rambles on about live 52 , Brahmi, Ashwagandha, Chawanprash ...and I keep raising my eye brows ! Certainly I did not expect a Polish Canadian man to know all that stuff which the Indians themselves do not know, well many of them !

One day someone raised the issue of untouchables, which touched my spine. I have been there before ! And I had no answers !

"I heard that members of a higher caste would not give water to a lower caste man!!" Some one said !

"Umm uhhh ...yea ....ah ..well its not like that ..actually it happens in the villages ..not in the cities" ...

"But isn't that where most of India lives?"...

I cannot deny statistics ! This is where I remember all those posts on rediff about 5000 years of Civilization ...

so someone quipped "5000 thousand years of culture" ..

I sometimes think should I just say " These people don't respect my culture so I should not stay here and return to India?" ...thats most unreasonable Indians would say .."If they are insulting you then why do you live there?" .

Hmmm .. Am I really insulted on something I myself am not proud of ?

5000 years of Indian civilization and we have an amazing system where Religious riots kill thousands every year. People are denied basic human rights of being an equal human without being insulted or branded like an animal in a farm (Caste). Women first tow their parents line and then their husbands'. They are like a commodity ! A corrupt system which is putting 95% of economy into the pockets of 5 % of the population and the rest live on hand to mouth and still we have the pride of 5000 years of civilization. and Oh! yes the US visa is fine !!! I am moving soon but where I don't yet know !

Definitely its that old ..and its too old it needs some repairs!!!